Disgrace

“It doesn’t sound that bad to me,” I shouted, making him look up from his papers. I started walking down the aisle toward the front of the church, and as I drew closer, his smile grew brighter.

“Tell me I’m not seeing a ghost and my daughter really is back in town,” he said, removing his glasses and placing them on top of his head.

“Not a ghost yet,” I replied, walking up to him. It only took seconds for him to wrap me in an embrace.

“It’s been too long, ya know,” he told me, holding me tighter. “We missed you at service this morning.”

“I know. Sorry about that. I wish I could’ve made it.”

As he let me go, he took a step back and smiled my way. “You look beautiful.”

I laughed. “Makeup works wonders.”

He shook his head. “No, it’s not makeup.” He linked his arm through mine and walked us down to the front pew. We sat, and he kept smiling his bright smile my way. “Not that I’m not happy for the sweet reunion, but what brings you back to Chester, baby girl?”

I raised an eyebrow, bewildered. “Mama didn’t tell you? I was certain she would have after our falling-out tonight.”

“Falling-out?” he asked, baffled. His thick eyebrows knitted, and he rubbed the nape of his neck. “I haven’t heard a word from her. So what’s going on?”

My chest tightened. A big part of me hoped Mama had already gotten to Dad so I wouldn’t have to watch the disappointment hit him as he learned about the failure of my marriage. As I swallowed my pride, I proceeded to tell him everything that had happened with Finn. I couldn’t look him in the eyes as I told him, though. The guilt and embarrassment were too difficult for me, so my stare stayed focused on my shaking hands.

As I finished, I closed my eyes, waiting to hear his thoughts.

“Hmm…” He let out a deep sigh and placed a hand on my knee. “Marriage is hard.”

“Harder than I ever thought,” I agreed.

“Is it completely over?”

I snickered. “He’s with my best friend, Dad. I think it’s as over as it could ever be.”

“No, I get that, but your heart…is your heart completely over it? Is there any part that wants him back?”

I grew quiet because the answer was yes, and that embarrassed me.

I was ashamed that parts of me still longed for him.

“There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Grace,” he said as if he could read my mind. “It’s okay to love someone even though they wronged you. You can’t pretend your feelings don’t exist because you’re afraid of what those feelings might mean. Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world is to love someone who broke your heart.”

“I do love him,” I whispered, my throat painfully raw. “I hate him, too, though. How is that possible?”

“We were created to feel, Grace. It just so happens that sometimes our feelings come out of order. It’s amazing how one second, your heart can beat for love, and in the next, hate can sneak in. You’re not in the wrong for anything you’re feeling.”

“Mama disagrees. She thinks I’m making a mistake by not fighting for our marriage.”

“What do you think?”

I shrugged. “I’m really not sure. Everything spiraled so fast. I feel so lost.”

“You’re not lost; you’re just figuring things out. And now you’re home for a while, which is good. You need to be surrounded by familiar things and people. You just need to find your footing is all. Home is healing.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said sincerely, resting my head on his shoulder.

“Always and always,” he replied.

“Your advice was a lot better than Mama’s.”

“And what was her advice?”

“Therapy.”

He laughed and nodded slowly. “Sounds about right.”

10

Grace

“Hey, Grace, it’s Alex from the auto shop. I wanted to call and let you know you can stop by any time today to check on your car. Thanks, and hopefully we’ll see you soon!”

A few days had passed since I’d arrived in Chester. I hadn’t really left Judy’s house much since I’d come into town, and when I did, I ended up in The Silent Bookshop. Staying in one of those two places was the easiest way to avoid running into people.

I was making it my mission to avoid Autumn and Finn like the plague.

Yet now that Alex called, I had to force myself to leave my two havens and head over to the auto shop. After I slipped on my shoes, I headed outside and felt the summer breeze brushing against my face. There was nothing like the hot summers of Georgia and the way the trees exploded with the brightest shades of green.

Chester was the perfect sized town because everything was within walking distance. Though Mike’s Auto Shop seemed a bit off the pathway because it was right on the edge of town. The Emery men owned a lot of acreage—nowhere near as much as my family, but they had a lot more land than most people in town did. On the far-right side of their property sat a beautiful two-level home, and in the middle was the auto shop. In front of the shop, a few broken-down and rusted vehicles placed on top of spare tires were used as decoration. It was…cute.